Survey Suggests that Americans are Willing to Travel 500 Miles for a Good Deal on a Car

It’s no coincidence that buying a car in the last couple of years has felt like a competitive sport. On top of the fierce competition, low supply, the microchip shortage, putting down a deposit, dealer markups, and so on, buying a new or pre-owned vehicle has led some customers to go beyond their normal expectations of buying a car.

According to a study conducted by a Subaru dealership in Lexington, KY which polled 2,690 drivers in the U.S., the average customer would be willing to travel hundreds of miles in order to get their dream car (or just a good deal). In the study, the average American says they would be willing to travel on average 469 miles to buy a car. Residents in Alaska and New Mexico polled the highest by saying they would travel over 700 miles to buy a car, while those in Vermont polled the least at only 286 miles.

The pre-owned vehicle market has been in an odd state, much like new cars since 2020 as well. Many car rental companies have been forced to sell much of their inventory due to the lack of customers, and have had to snatch up as many cars as they can at auctions to meet the demand. Another reason why prices have been all over the place.

With the national average price of gas gradually approaching $5 dollars per gallon, long trips in the hundreds of miles are certainly not cheap. To the point where perhaps flying to the location and driving back could be more of an affordable option.